T Stands for Time To Let Go

Ma and Dad had lots of cherished items from their home. Furniture, china, figurines, silver. When their house had to be cleaned out and sold, we found ourselves absorbing their stuff. Packed neatly in plastic boxes and stacked haphazardly in the basement until the little, dollhouse house started bursting at the seams.

I couldn't bring myself to go through their stuff right after they had passed. (They both passed in 2013. Dad went first and Ma followed him three months later). The cleanout, selling of the house and dealing with the bureaucracy of MassHealth/Medicaid was too much. A little time passed, but going through the stuff was just overwhelming. I felt as if I was suffocating and trapped by the clutter.

Most of the stuff was in excellent condition. Not fine enough to be considered antique, but too good to sell for nickels and dimes at a yard sale. So it became an endless cycle of getting the urge to clean, but being overwhelmed by the clutter and not wanting to let things go.

Somewhere along the way, I read an article. I think on Facebook. Yes, it's a place where the cool kids don't hang out, but you know

It's hip to be a square

Anyway the article was from Sweden and was called something like Death Cleaning It was a process of downsizing somewhere in your 50s ( or 60s  for us late bloomers) so your children aren't burdened with trying to absorb your household into theirs. I learned from trying to sell my mother's beautiful mahogany furniture what was once prized no one wants any more. I didn't want all my parents' furniture, and I'm sure the girlies won't want mine. The idea is to keep what makes you happy, but to give away or donate items no longer wanted or needed.

Ma had lots of silver-plated items: coffee pots, sugar bowls, creamers, and trays. I had already taken a tray that I liked, and a teapot that belonged to Doris (for those that are following my Throwback Thursday Notebook Series) I didn't need 3 or 4 more trays. I don't entertain in that fashion. Still, it didn't really seem right to send the items charity.

Then I thought of  Michelle Sperry, the neice of a friend. Michelle is the Executive and Creative Director of The Connecticut Theater Dance Company: from the website "a non-profit 501(c)3, socially conscious contemporary ballet company providing tuition assistance through Encore Youth Scholarship Program." Michelle hosts a lot of fundraisers and teas. So I asked if she could use Ma's silver things. Happily, she said she would give them a good home where they would be appreciated and used.

They may not shine as brightly as they once did, but there is still a lot of life in the old gals. I'm glad I found someone who would appreciate their beauty the way Ma did.

Drop by hosts, Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog to find out what the rest of the T Stands For gang is up to. If you want to play, include in your Tuesday post a beverage or container for a beverage. Don't forget to link your blog to Bleubeard and Elizabeth's page.